I'm Not Okay I Promise
by Death Of Sky
Summary: Kagome moves into her father and brother's solitary ritzy apartment and transfers to a school of snobs. While skipping, she meets strange neighbors...Updated Author's Note!
1. Mystery Neighbors

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, But Sesshy's heart belongs to me!

Edited 07/27/07

This Chapter (written in January '06), was edited in July '07. It had many, _many _errors and now that the author has grown further in her writing experience, you can expect better quality, and that this story will be continued. Thank you for your patience.

Title: "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)"

Summary: Kagome moves from America to Tokyo with her father and brother into a ritzy apartment, and transfers to a school full of snobs. One day while skipping class, she coincidentally meets her gorgeous silver haired neighbors and his streetwise friends, who are also skipping! A beautiful, wild friendship blossoms into…angsty forbidden romance? Read on!

Chapter One: An Empty House And Mystery Neighbors

She looked at her reflection of the flawless golden doors of the elevator, scowling at the distorted image while the uncomfortable silence of her, her brother and her father made her mind tick with uneasiness. Well, why wouldn't it? After all that had happened, and all the estrangement between the three strangers, Kagome was not happy with the way things were going between them. _We're supposed to be a family, right? …Then how come I can't even remember my own brother's name? It _IS _Souta, isn't it? Damn it all. _Her thoughts swirled miserably like flies in her mind, while she watched the elevator numbers highlight, one by one, until they reached floor 14

Sighing with relief, she followed the two older men out of the elevator through the dark, spotless hallway, which was not lined with many doors- in fact, Kagome suspected, there was probably no more than five apartments on the gigantic floor. As it turned out, three doors down from the elevator at the end of the hall, Hiroki Higurashi slid the card key through the large mahogany door and ushered his children in. When Kagome walked into it, it was hard to hide her surprise and amazement: Like only the apartments she saw on television, it was large, bright and quiet spacious. The whole outer wall was thick glass, with a door leading to the great stone balcony patio, which was graced with black lounge chaises and a glass table with a large black umbrella. It was only fall, but Kagome couldn't wait for spring and summer when she could probably eat out and watch the sunset.

The carpet was beige and the walls stark white, there was a glass bar at the inner wall, and Kagome eyed the countless bottles of alcohol. Then, she noticed the chandeliers, and the strange paintings of black and white abstract art. To the left of her, there was a large built-in aquarium with several black and dark blue fish. The whole room…was spacious, partly empty…and lonely. A vibe that she hated, but guess she would have to ignore it.

"Well, this is home. Souta will show you to your room, dear, because I have to go to work. You'll be quick to learn that both of us often have meetings to attend to, but on the weekends and such we go out to dinner. You'll be my date, won't you? Souta is getting tiresome…" There was an awkward silence, and then, she forced a small laugh.

"Uh, yes sir! Good luck with work." In such a stiff manner, he smiled and bent to kiss her forehead, and then nodded to Souta.

"I trust we'll meet at Hascombe's office, in one hour?" Souta, her handsome twenty-one-year-old brother nodded, setting his briefcase down on the bar.

"Yes, father. I'll shower and change, and then be on my way. You don't mind, do you Kagome?" He said without looking at her, as he and Hiroki walked away from her in opposite directions without waiting for her response.

After a moment, her father slammed the door and her brother was walking down the hall, so she chose to follow him.

"Um, Souta? My room…" He didn't even turn around or stop to look at her, still. "It's the very last one on the left, the room beside mine, of course," he walked suddenly into the large pair of double doors to their left, and didn't even glance at her as he turned and shut the door. And so, she stood there for a blank moment, trying to shut out the pain she was feeling. Was this the way it was going to be from now on? Would it always be lonely, would they always shut her out? She doubted she could even make friends; she didn't have very many in Michigan.

The bare walls of the hallway were suddenly giving her cold shivers, and so she walked around the left bend of the hallway to see a pair of white double doors, and slowly, she reached out and turned the golden knob. As she walked inside, an even brighter light assaulted her, and she realized that at this time of day at noon, in this room, the sun would shine directly into her pure white empty room.

Well, it wasn't completely empty…facing her from where she stood at the door, in front of the glass outer wall was a queen-sized silken-sheeted bed, with a great black wooden headboard so the when she would wake, the headboard would block the sunlight from blinding her. To the right side of the bed beside the screen door, twenty feet or so away was a black cherry wood dresser, about her height and topped with a black and gold vase filled with fresh, red roses. And beside that was a vanity table, perhaps only a head or two shorter than her, with a knee-height cushioned bench.

Instead, she turned to the right side of the room and went to the beautiful French doors that lead to her closet space. When she opened them, true to her fathers word, the closet was filled with newly bought clothes- most of them business suits it seemed her mother would have worn, and then there were was a small bundle of hanged clothing to the right, with a small white paper taped to a hanger.

_Kagome, I didn't know all of what you would like, so look in the left pocket of black denim jacket. Go shopping. Oh, and the black sailor suit- your school uniform- speaking of which, starts tomorrow at eight 'o clock. I would recommend getting up at six thirty, to have a breakfast with your brother and I- sadly, that may be the only time to see us during this quiet busy week. If not, I'll leave your schedule and pocket money on the counter. Do whatever you want. Ciao, darling- love, father._

She looked from the note to the bundle of clothes, and found and dug into the pocket of a brand new denim jacket, and pulled out a rather large wad of money. _Well, I guess there's one good thing about this situation._ _Do whatever I want? Just fine with me._ She stuffed the money into the back pocket of her designer jeans, and decided to hang her current blue denim coat into the closet, until she discovered how cold it actually was. _God, where's the heater in this place? It's fucking freezing in here!_ She shrugged back on her jacket and shut the closet door, and went to close her own bedroom door.

As she pressed the door shut, a sudden cold breeze blew against the back of her neck; and she turned to face the sliding door of the glass wall- only to discover that it was still shut. Slowly, she turned from the door and walked hesitantly to the glass, eyeballing the entire piece of fragile architecture. But to no avail, there was no cracks, no hidden window. And so, shrugged it off and laid herself down on the high risen bed, guessing it had been mere imagination. As she allowed her body to relax, loosen and sink into the luxurious mattress, her mind only became more troubled, thoughts hurtling at her one after another. She reached up to the back of her head and pulled the hair band from her ponytail, and she felt the relief of the tightness gone from her hair. And as the silence crept back into the room, her worried, weary eyes started to close, her breathing became lighter, and soon she was lightly snoring, and far away in dreamland.

_Eight hours later_

Kagome's eyes snapped right open, and and sat up so fast she nearly fell from the bed. The rock music; from wherever it was playing, was so incredibly loud that she was sure the whole building was awake.

"_So give me all your poison,_

_and give me all your pills,_

_and give me all your hopeless hearts_

_and make me ill…_

_You're running after something_

_That you'll never kill_

_If this is what you want, then_

_Fire at will!"_

She recognized the American band, My Chemical Romance, and rose from the bed, realizing it was useless to cover her ears. She ran and swung open her bedroom door, marching through the hall and back into the main room, and realized that the music was nearer to her room, which was the balcony next to hers! But, this was nothing new to Kagome Higurashi. As much as she loved the music, they had to shut up, and would not until challenged otherwise. She remembered back home in Massachusetts, were she had lived with her mother in a quiet rural area, other teenagers came their to have parties, with less chance of getting busted. And what Kagome found was that…if you had equally great music blasting even louder than theirs, for some reason…they'd turn it down or turn it off. She never actually understood why this was, but she was sure it would work now.

Right next to the entrance hall, opposite side the bar, was the entertainment system she hadn't noticed much before…she ran over to it, pulling open the cupboard doors to where the stereo was perched. It looked as though it were hardly used, and fragile…but the enormous speakers on each side of the wooden structure was telling her a different story. Boosting it up, she searched for the CD mode button, and when she ejected the CD carrier, she almost burst out laughing! In the circle of rotating CD's, she found the least likely- besides the Beethoven's Greatest Hits, there was a Weird Al- Pretty Fly For A Rabbi, a Backstreet Boy's greatest hits, a CD that instructed…the gentleman's code! But, she kept her mind on her mission, and ran to her room for her little black backpack, which carried some of her most precious cargo- a picture of her mom, a picture of their whole family together and her CD player and CD's.

Though she was now used to the music's volume, she was determined as she pranced back to the music system and began removing and reloading the circle. Now, she was added to the family's mix as she placed in Evanescence, Breaking Benjamin, Disturbed, and Lacuna Coil. Then after carefully selecting the track she desired, she turned the volume knob up to full height and ran back down to the hall, trying to reach her balcony before the music could begin. She blew past her bedroom doors, almost skidding right into the glass, and peeked at her neighbor's balcony behind the black heavy drapes that lined both sides of the wall.

Incidentally, just as "Helena" began to tremble the building, the second song of Lacuna Coil greeted MCR with a beautiful, gothic blast of it's own with "Heaven's a Lie". From behind her safe hiding spot, she could barely make out their faces…but sitting on a rather monstrous black couch in front of their window, there were three black haired people, a tall guy and two shorter girls. Then, her left view of their window was a tall, silvery haired demonic guy with some kind of violet tattoo on his head, like a crescent moon. To her right, another tall silvery haired demon boy with something strange perched on his head, who was chatting up with a small auburn haired child- with a red tail. Everyone was decked out in black clothes, and it seemed fair to label them as "punks" or "Goths" to a certain point.

And so, as her music began to overpower theirs, the three black haired teenagers and the three demons came out onto the balcony. It almost scared her…was she not hidden well enough? They were staring at her balcony, and talking to each other and pointing at it. Maybe they were going to come over here? Maybe kids in Japan weren't very much like Americans after all…she backed up carefully from the curtain, and slid to the floor. No way…they couldn't see her now. She felt so silly, creeping across her floor like a child caught out of bed…yet, she would not have liked to faced the embarrassment. After all, they did lived in the same area, didn't they? If they were her age, they probably went to her school. And, they would want to know why she'd turned her music up that loud, and came out to watch them.

She wiggled around her door, and once safely behind it, she stood up and ran with aching knees to the stereo. Then, she turned the volume completely down, and switched everything off. Now, it was time to test…if they chose to respond negatively, they'd find a way to turn it up even louder- but positively, it meant they would turn it down or turn it off. Either one would be nice, she thought sourly, and went to flop on the couch. Though she couldn't possibly go back to sleep, she still needed to rest, and so with her sore body, she waited. …The room was growing dark, and the orange-golden light was wavering fast, and her stomach rumbled…just as "Helena" gave the building one final shake, and then silence came to rule over all in the lonely Higurashi apartment.

She smiled lightly, and watched herself wiggle her toes as she enjoyed the silence that her neighbors had given back to her. _Hmm…I ought to thank them,_ she mused as she hopped off of the couch, and picked up the phone off of the bar counter. Looking over the taped, labeled numbers, she dialed a simple "1726398" for resident service.

"…Residency Service of Onigumo Conference Building, how can I help you?" Her eyes glimmered with mischief, as she recognized the voice to be of the young, chestnut-haired teenage bellhop that had nervously greeted them at their arrival, about eight and a half hours prior.

"Hi, this is Kagome- you know, Higurashi's daughter?" She tried to hold back her laughter as she could her him choke and stutter nervously.

"Um…yes, Miss Higurashi…what can I do for you?" She readied herself to work her magic.

"Honey, what's your name?" Using the tone that would a sexy, more experienced and older woman use, as she knew her mother had been a pro at once.

"Um…K-Kohaku, Miss." He sounded as though any minute now, he were going to faint.

"Well, my dear Kohaku…I'm kind of new in Tokyo. When do you get off of your shift?"

"A-any minute now. Why do you ask, Miss Higurashi?" She sighed. What was with this guy? He was actually quiet handsome, now that she thought about it. Why'd he sound so unconfident?

"Well you see, my father and brother have left me all alone up here. I've pretty much slept all day- but now, I'm awake…and am one hungry girl." She giggled as she could picture his shocked face, inappropriate thoughts swirling around the "innocent" phrase in his too-polite mind. When he didn't respond, she gave up teasing him.

"Well…I like Italian food. Do they have any of that here? Or is it all cats, seafood and stew? What do you like to eat, Kohaku?" There was a pause…then, some sigh of relief, and then he answered- with a little less nervousness.

"Well, since you asked…I do like pizza. Shall I speak to the cook"-

"Absolutely not. We're going out!"

"B-but, are you sure…? I"-

"Be ready in half an hour, you hear me? I said, 'We're going out!'" And with that, she slammed down the phone. But, she still smiled.

"He'll be there, I know it." She said it aloud, more to reassure herself as she went back to her room- forgetting that her neighbors may have still been watching.

Later...

This time, she smiled to herself in the golden flawless reflection of the mirror as the green digital numbers counted down, one floor after another. She smoothed back her bangs to the left, feeling over herself to make sure she looked alright. She decided to apologize, when she met back up with him, for being such a annoying tease. She hadn't specified how to dress, or where they were going, and she hadn't even asked or considered that he may have had other plans. She wasn't usually mean like that, she would explain, and hopefully he wouldn't have a real big problem with it.

She had decided to replace her old blue denim with the new black one, and under it was one of the few articles of clothing she had brought- her favorite black glittering halter top. Her hair was back in a tight, thick ponytail and she wore only light eyeliner, eye shadow and lip gloss. In other words, the perfect American cheerleader ensemble. And when the doors opened to the first floor lobby, she was relieved to find Kohaku there, wearing a large black denim jacket, with a black tee underneath and black khaki shorts and his hair slicked back, while smiling nervously, holding a single rose. Her face broke into a wide, beautiful-as-can-be smile, and she leaped at him.

"Kohaku, you're the sweetest guy I've ever met." He blushed a deep cherry.

"Er…don't take this the wrong way Miss, I just mean…well, I wasn't sure. I've never…gone on a date with anyone before, so…"

"Don't you worry about a thing, Kohaku. You're doing great." She took the rose, and gestured to the main glass doors of the building, offering her arm.

"Shall we?"

-End Of Chapter One-

Interesting? Need more detail, or work? And yes, Kagome's mother is to remain a mystery. May change the rating.

And perhaps a lot of angst later on…and more to come!

Review and I'll write some more. Ja Ne!

-Cztar Chan


	2. Investigations

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha Characters.

Title: I'm Not Okay (I Promise)

Chapter Two: Investigations

The room was relaxed, long candle sticks on each small white table, and the views of the city outside the large, glass walls were breathtaking. Every waiter/waitress was dressed in finest black and white three-piece suits, everything seemingly professional and beautiful; especially the Italian dark paintings hung along the sheer white walls. On every table was a unique porcelain vase filled with red roses, the chains were cushioned velvet red and the carpet the same color.

But, Kagome hardly noticed the scenery, as she leaned over their small table, slurping her spaghetti noodles. Though she wasn't making any mess, Kohaku sat across from her, dazed and with a confused expression. She stopped to look at him mid-slurp, and raised an eyebrow.

"What is it, Kohaku? Do I have something on my face?" Her light, fluttery tone caught his attention within…three minutes.

"Hey! Are you listening? Geez, Kohaku, snap out of it!" He blinked, and his brown, chocolate eyes snapped out of their trance.

"Oh, what? I'm sorry."

She shook her head, and set down her fork. He, with a fearful look on his face, sat up straight as his body possibly could.

"Gods, Kohaku, I really don't get you."

"Pardon me? I don't understand."

"You, I don't understand you! You're this good-looking guy, you're living under the Onigumo Fund Building, and you probably go to a nice school, so what's with the nervousness? For god's sake, where is your self-confidence! For crying out loud!"

He winced, and she realized the harshness of her own voice. She reached across the table, and rested her hand on his shaking fist, making sure to soften her expression.

"Look, I didn't mean it like that. You're just such a nice guy, and all. I saw you earlier before you came over to greet us- you were just fine, ordering all the other bellhops this way and that. What is it about me that makes you like this? You _can _tell me, you know. I won't get mad," She nodded, as if to assure herself.

He blinked slowly, opened his mouth, closed it and then looked at her, as if to be making sure she would be true to her word.

"Well…actually, it's not you, Miss- I mean, _Kagome,_" He spoke cautiously, trying to remember not to be formal.

"Well, if it's not me, then what's up?" She frowned, as it seemed he was starting to get nervous again. He squeezed his eyes shut, and then stood up.

"I'm sorry. It's just- whenever I think how close I am to Souta, like even when I'm near you or your father, I think about Souta, and then, I can't stop-" He bowed his head.

"Forgive me, Kagome. I am in love with your brother, not you."

For a moment, Kagome said nothing, just kept a stoic expression as he peeked at her from under his bangs, still in his bowing stance. Then, for no reason he could think of, she burst out laughing!

"Uh, Miss Kagome, I really can't see how this is funny, in any way…"

"…Oh Kohaku, that's awesome!" He almost fell, plopping back into his seat.

"What…what?" She was still chuckling, while staring at him with an amused expression. Then, over her plate she rested her chin in her hands, and grinned at him like a Cheshire cat.

"Souta, I never liked you that way in the first place. And secondly, I think you liking my brother is a cool thing."

"Oh…but, you won't tell him, will you?"

"Kohaku, I am your friend…I won't tell anything you don't want me to." He looked at her, with a bemused face.

"Friend?"  
"Well, yeah, friend- you know what that is, don't you? I'm sure you have other friends around here, too." He cleared his throat, and sat back in his chair.

"Well…sure, my friends up on the top floor, including my sister, Sango. Instead of the employee's quarters on floor 3, I live with them on floor 14…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa- time out here- the _14__th_floor?"

"Well, yes. That's your floor too, isn't it?"

She sat back in her chair. "Kohaku, can you tell me about…these friends of yours?" He looked very puzzled, but complied with her request.

"Sure. …Including my sister, there's Rin Haragamo, and her boyfriend Sesshomaru Taisho, but he's a demon- he's got a crescent moon on his forehead, and white hair too. Then there's his little half brother Inuyasha, who's a half demon, but without the crescent moon- he looks exactly like Sess. And there's Shippo, a fox demon, but he's only a Kit in middle school. And Miroku, who's training to be a priest, and my sister Sango is his girlfriend. That's everybody, and then there is me."

She stared blankly at him, compiling with all the information he had just given her. Then slowly, she looked up at him.

"Okay. I was just wondering who was blasting the music, earlier." His face brightened with interest of the topic.

"Oh. Yes, they do that a lot, but today, there were there was a second stereo, playing a different, louder song. After that, the whole building was deathly quiet. Someone must have challenged them." She hid her smile behind a hand, remembering her secret triumph.

Kohaku picked at his slice of cheese pizza. "You should meet them sometime- they're all about our age, you know, except Sess- he's 21, and has a company of his own to run over at Taisho corporations. But yeah…I'll bet Yash could use a girlfriend, you know. He's never had a decent one, anyway." Kagome choked a laugh, and leaned over towards him.

"No way. Guys just don't cut it for me." His eyes widened in surprise.

"You mean, you're a lesbian?"

"Heh, I like girls too, yes. But no, it's just…I've had hard times…" Her face darkened, and he nodded in sympathetic understanding.

"Yeah…being gay isn't too good with acceptance, either. But…just meet him first, give him a chance! I promise, Yasha isn't that type of guy…rather, he's the one who needs acceptance. You're the only one I've met so far, who seems the type of person who doesn't care about differences." She frowned.

"What do you mean by that? He looked kind of cute to me."

He smiled sadly.

"Kagome…he is a half demon. Half _breed,_ to be more precise."

"Uh…half breed?" He nodded solemnly.

"Yes, a half breed." Kagome confounded him with a puzzled look.

"So? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Does he got a disease or something?" This made him smile wider, and he folded his arms.

"Exactly, Kagome. He's completely healthy, a real gentleman when he comes around…now go tell that to the, what…six girls that have dumped him in the last few months?" Kagome gasped.

"Are you _serious_? Six girls? That poor guy…"

"And it was only after they found out he was a half demon, that they broke up with him. Now, he will hardly look at any girls. He's totally a grouch. He hasn't been to school for a week…only yesterday did Sess get him out of bed."

Kagome felt a deep, sagging feeling for this boy, a boy that she had never met…and felt a kind of urge to learn more about him.

"So…he's good looking, you say?" Kohaku's nervousness was non-existent, and he cracked a playful grin.

"Interested?" She blushed. Well, it couldn't hurt to meet the guy…

"Possibly. Maybe you'll pick me up tomorrow after work and bring me home with you…"

"Only if you bring me home with _you _to see Souta sometime." She extended her hand, and he shook it.

"Deal?"

"Deal."

Kagome threw her purse down beside her bed, kicked off her shoes and pulled her ponytail loose. She went and threw everything into her closet space; her jacket, purse, shoes, and was about to take off her halter top…when she looked out and remembered the glass wall that exposed her.

"Aw, great!" she wandered over to the glass door, where the cords to the thick black heavy drapes lie in her control, and she quickly pulled the cord to close them. Relieved, she then pulled her halter top over her head, peeled away her bra and pulled her jeans down. Then off to the closet once more, she found the silken green robe she had noticed earlier. It was like a kimono; falling to her ankles and large, billowing sleeves came to the tips of her fingers. Then, reached over to the bed to take her hair tie and pull back her hair, loosely, and was wondering where to shove her dirty clothing when she heard the slamming of a door.

Running down the hall excitedly, she was somehow happy to see it was her brother, setting his briefcase on the bar and pulling off his shoes. This time, however, he looked up at her and sort of smiled.

"Well hello, little sister. Don't you look nice just for going to bed?" Kagome really didn't get what he was saying, but she was glad he was smiling at her and noticing.

"Hi Souta. Are you off work for the night?" He groaned.

"Kagome, for future reference, don't even mention the word. Just cause I work so much, doesn't mean I like it." He made his way past her to around the bar, where he dug up a shot glass and poured a bottle of whiskey into it.

"Then why do you do it?"

"Why? It's my obligation to father. And at times, to myself. I have my reasons." She took this to mean, "No more questions" and decided to sit on a bar stool. He drank his whiskey in one swallow, and looked at her.

"You want some?" She closed her eyes, and mentally counted backwards from five.

"No."

"Suit yourself." He shrugged, and poured himself another glass, and started towards the hall, before turning around once more.

"Oh, Father should be home any minute now." Before she could say anything, he shot her smile down.

"And don't get your hopes up to do any talking with him. He'll be so drunk, he'll probably see mom when he looks at you. Even sober, I know I do sometimes. So, better lock your door." With that, and a bottle of whiskey, he trudged down the hall, and seconds later closed his door, cutting halfway through the silence before the cut was mended, and all Kagome could hear was her own breath.

She eyed the front door, anticipating her father's arrival- yet, she felt a horrible feeling in her gut that was telling her to follow her brother's advice. She knew what could happen, if a drunk guy suddenly saw his wife, or his desired lover on another person's face. Kagome shuddered with memories, lost in thought as she rested against the counter.

But, the silence didn't last for long…minutes later, she heard muffled steps, and a sudden noise at the door of somebody fumbling with the handle. Quickly, she jumped from the stool, and backed away silently to the hallway, as a red-faced Hiroki stumbled into the entryway.

"Honey, I'm home!" He laughed at his own stupid joke, kicking his shoes off and trying to get the left one off when it kept sticking to his foot.

"God damned piece of-" He lifted his leg up, but apparently hadn't enough balance to stay up. With a loud thud, he fell to the ground, mumbling curses, but laughed again when he realized his shoe had come off. On all fours, he looked up at Kagome, who suddenly looked terrified.

"Dad?"

"Hey-eyy… Misato, I'm finally home, just like _you _always wanted." He grinned at her, and holding on to a nearby barstool managed to pull himself up. Kagome stared at him in horror, and backed away as fast as he came towards her.

"Dad, you're drunk. You should go to bed."

"Misato, I've been…(hiccup) waiting for you…" All of the sudden, he unexpectedly lunged at her, and she shrieked as she turned and made a run for her room. Even drunk, he was still as fast as her, though thankfully not fast enough; for as soon as he came to enter her room, double white doors were slammed in his face.

Never the less, as she turned out the lights and ran out to the balcony, she could still hear him pounding on her door, screaming her mother's name. Shivering violently from the cold, she huddled in the right corner of the balcony, suddenly crying tears of fear. She had no idea that it would turn out this way; she never thought her father and brother were these kinds of cold, workaholic men. After the incident, when her father came to take her, she had hoped that maybe they would become a close, bonded family. And now, for the next three years, she was stuck here, in a cold place that could hardly be called a home, with men that could hardly be called family. Where was her salvation?

-End of Chapter Two-

Ah ha! Finally, a firm grip on where this story is going. So, please kindly review and enjoy…

Read the next chapter!

-Cztar Chan


	3. Collision And A Frozen Elevator

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Mm… Thanks for all the yummy reviews! Hey, I updated pretty quickly for the last chapter…be patient, it won't take long.

Title: I'm Not Okay (I Promise)

Chapter Three: Collision And A Frozen Elevator

Silence. As she stepped back into her room, from a cold, sleepless night on the balcony, she listened carefully while making her way to her bedroom doors. Hesitantly, she came down to her knees and bent over to peek under the door. Breathing a small sigh of relief, she stood and slowly, cautiously and quietly left her room, eyes darting back and forth from every door, tiptoeing through the hall, and she dare not make a single sound. As she walked slowly, her small footsteps making no sound, she had the strangest feeling that someone else was there with her…

"Aaggghhh! Souta, what the hell!" As she turned from her brother's reflection of the glass bar, he glared at her.

"Geez, Kagome, what the hell back at you. Run down the main hall and wake everyone else up, why don't you." He was straightening his tie, smoothing back his hair. Glancing at his watch, he picked up his briefcase and walked past her around the bar, rushing towards the door.

"You've got about an hour and twenty minutes to get to school, Kagome. Look on the table out on balcony. Talk to you later, I'm late!"

He comically jumped around, trying to shove on his shoes and ran to open the door, where a nicely dressed Kohaku stood, hand raised to knock and blushing.

"Err… Hello, Mr. Higurashi," Kohaku bowed to him, mumbling. But, he was not the only one who looked nervous.

"Ah, yes, good morning Kohaku," A light blush stained Souta's cheeks, and then he snapped out of his nervous trance.

"Forgive me, I'm late," He bowed back to Kohaku and ran past him, headed for the elevator.

Kagome, who had been standing and watching by the bar this whole time, was also turning pink. She gestured for her friend to come in but instead, it was she who had to go over to him, pull his frozen, shocked figure into the room, and close the door.

"Hey, Kagome?"

"Yeah?"

"Please tell me this is not a dream."

"This is not a dream."

"No, that this really, truly, honestly is not a dream."

"This is really, truly, honestly not a dream."

"No, that this-"

"Kohaku… shut up and sit down."

"Right."

Kohaku followed her out onto the balcony, his focus completely lost in dreamland as he allowed her to shove him into a chair. Kagome turned her attention to the contents of the table: There was a plate of bacon, a plate of different eggs and then a plate of toast with butter, jams, etc. Next to the breakfast plates was a small black flip Fido Cell phone, holding down a small envelope with her name scrawled in the middle. She set aside the phone, and held up the envelope, and then eyed Kohaku.

"…haku…"

"Nnn…"

"Kohaku, are you listening?"

"Huh…what?" He snapped out of his reverie, and looked up at the impatient teenage girl, waving the opened envelope. She sighed, and set the envelope, the phone and the small pocketbook filled with money into the pocket of her robe.

"I said, 'Eat something'. I've got to get ready…the letter from my brother said I'm going to Himiko-Den High School. I don't know when my classes are, and I have to take a shower and get my uniform and stuff…"

"Where did you _think _my uniform was from? Silly, this is Himiko-Den's guy uniform."

"Eh…eh? Really? Well, lucky you, you're all ready, but I'm still in my pajamas. Eat some of this, or it'll go to waste."

"What's your hurry…? Or…I guess no one told you- on Wednesdays, school starts an hour _later _than usual. Kagome stopped in her tracks at the glass door, and turned to look at him, puzzled.

"What! How come I wasn't told about this? In Souta's letter, in says he used to go there…why didn't he say…?"

"Probably because he graduated, what, three years ago? Anyway, so we have _two _hours to go. Relax…and _eat._ You look like you've skipped a month's worth of meals, girl." She glared at him, and walked back over to the table, and sat down. She grabbed the plate of bacon, took a tiny piece and chewed tiny bites, smirking at him. He shrugged.

"That's just fine and dandy, girl. But you'll eat it." He laughed. Now they were acting like real, old friends as Kohaku picked at the plate of toast, asking her how she liked her toast and she spit back that she hated toast. Then, he moved on to the eggs, and she said they made her sick. He just laughed back at her.

"That's just fine, Kags. You eat that whole plate of bacon; and I mean every last bite. We clear on that?" She just glowered back at him, gnarling of piece after piece of bacon.

Fresh from the shower, dressed in her school uniform with her knee-high boots and eyes dark with makeup, Kagome stood before her full-length mirror and wondered how she should wear her hair.

"Agh, just come here. If you don't hurry up, then we _will _be late. You're as bad as Inuyasha!" Kohaku rose from his position on her bed, and came up behind her and grabbed the hairbrush.

"Really? I am?" She smiled at the thought of the silver haired boy, standing before a mirror with a hairbrush, trying to figure out how to do his hair.

"Yeah. That jerk took a forty-five minute shower this morning, and _then _he had to do his hair, which took fifteen minutes, and then he couldn't figure out what to _wear. _Hey- it's not funny!" He pulled on a silky strand of her hair playfully, and then reached for a black hair tie, while she still giggling.

"Yes it is, Kohaku. A guy, taking that long- oh, I'm sorry, it's just too awesome!" He ignored her and seemed to have finally decided on a loose look, her hair brushed to the right hanging over her shoulder with the band just an five inches above the ends of the hair. He examined his work, and she gave him a thumbs up in their reflection.

"All right, let's go…we now have _half an hour _to get to school. Lucky us, we don't have to walk to the train station- we have a car."

They left the apartment, Kagome checking for her key, pocketbook, cell phone, and the new briefcase that had been left for her on the bar, filled with necessary supplies for school.

"Now I _know _they picked everything out themselves…only the best technologies, only…the best laptop?" She was mumbling to herself as she was rifling through the briefcase. There _was _a small, handheld computer- that she would find stocked with internet, office programs, e-mail, Photoshop, etc. They entered the elevator and Kohaku gave her an exasperated look.

"Aw…that's so not fair. Mine's a 2005 model- I need to update." He pushed the ground floor button, but it would take a moment to reload, and they leaned against the wall impatiently. Suddenly, there was a noise out in the hall, and Kohaku was waving to someone.

"Yasha, hey, man! Why aren't you dressed yet?" It was the silver haired demon himself, walking down the hall in sweatpants and a t-shirt, holding a towel with a mischievous grin.

"Not going today." He ran into the elevator just in time, and Kagome instinctively moved slowly behind Kohaku, so as not to draw any attention. The elevator door closed, and the elevator moved down slowly, so Kohaku and Inuyasha struck up conversation.

"What are you doing here then?"

"Aw, I'm going down to the pool today. I need to catch up on my exercise."

"I'll say. After all that junk food and sleep, you're going to need it, heh."

"Say that again and I'll pop you, got it punk?" Both boys laughed, and suddenly Kohaku remembered his female acquaintance. He turned and pulled her in front of him so Inuyasha could see her, and Inuyasha's face perked with interest.

"Don't tell me you went straight, man," He scratched his… Doggy ears? Kagome wondered why she really hadn't noticed before, and eyebrows flew up. Inside her, an insatiable desire to touch them spiraled into her mind.

"No way in hell! Souta's my one and only…so, you can have his sister. Kagome, this is Inuyasha, and vice versa." He pushed her up closer to his friend, but she still hadn't stopped staring at the ears.

"What're you looking at, honey?" He frowned down on her, not sure what she was thinking of him.

"Can I…touch them?" He was stunned, unsure of what to say.

"Wha…what did you say?"

"Can I touch…your ears?" Behind her, Kohaku nodded encouragingly, mouthing a silent "Go on" and Inuyasha looked back down on her.

"Um…I guess. Knock yourself out," he bent down so she could reach. Slowly, she lifted her hands up to his head, and lightly pressed her fingertips to the smooth, silky surfaces of his flattening ears, before she got the courage up to stroke them. It wasn't until the elevator chimed, and Kagome was brought back to reality, that she let go and he stood back up straight. She smiled, and headed out of the elevator and waited for them to come out.

"Phew, now that I got _that _out of my system…" He was still looking at her strangely, and she wondered if she had possibly offended him.

"Um…I'm sorry if I bothered you by that…but…" He shook his head.

"No, it's okay. Most people really don't take to a freak with dog ears…"

"…But they're really awesome! Nobody I've ever heard of has ears like that."

He slowly started to smile, while behind him was Kohaku who was so happy, he could barely stand it.

"Um, Kagome, we have to go to school now…" He could barely contain the happiness in his voice, but both his friends turned to look at him.

"What's got you all happy?" Inuyasha raised his eyebrow, and Kagome merely shrugged and went over to Kohaku's side.

"Ah, it's nothing. Well, see you later!" Kohaku started off, but Kagome lingered a moment, and stood looking at Inuyasha shyly.

"Um, I guess I'll be seeing you then…" He grinned at her.

"You guess? I'll be seeing you in class tomorrow- I'm a red tie as well," He pointed to her chest, which had a red scarf tied in the center. She blushed, and nodded, walking backwards.

"Kagome, _come on!" _She laughed.

"Well- I, err…better go." She turned and ran off to catch up with Kohaku, while Inuyasha chuckled and headed off to the pool, feeling pretty good.

It was only first period, and already Kagome hated the school. Sure, she was amazed at the enormous glass building, filled with up-to-date textbooks and the latest technology and the smaller classes, but almost _everybody _she had spoken to thus far was…well, really _bitchy._ The first moment she stepped into the registration office, all she got were these _looks _from all the secretaries, like she was some kind of freak- but it was probably because of all the looks she was getting from the _guys._ It seriously freaked her out. And then, right when chemistry had started, some asshole sitting behind her reached up her skirt. She had yelped, slapped him…and then got all these evil looks from the other girls, even the teacher glared at her!

_Gah…this whole school is like the third ring of hell. Makes me wanna gag,_ She thought miserably. She tapped her pencil as her teacher went on to assign lab partners, and she saw some other girls whispering again. This was totally unfair! She was completely miserable, living with a brother who hardly knew her and a father she now half-feared, and no one in her class liked her, including the teacher! What if Inuyasha saw this and decided _he _didn't like her, either? _I'm doomed! _She mentally slapped her forehead. But just then, something else caught her attention.

"Yeah, I heard…mother was a circus freak…to a loony bin…" This lit Kagome on fire. Were they…talking about her mother…? _No! _The concept of such a thing struck pain and wild fear in her heart. How could they know? Not even her father knew about this…

Kagura was chatting gleefully to her friends about their new "freak" student, when all of the sudden a boot crashed onto her desk in front of her, and she sqeaked as she realized Kagome Higurashi was glaring down at her.

"Ahh! Teacher, Higurashi-San is attacking me!" Kagome disregarded this and the teacher that was angrily approaching. Her face twisted into an angry snarl and she grabbed Kagura by the hair.

"Why you _little bitch! _How dare you speak about my mother like that! You don't know me- you don't know anything!"

"Ow- ow! Teacher, she's hurting me!"

"Higurashi-San, sit down! Or, go home! Such crude behavior is unacceptable, and is not tolerated!" Kagome sighed, and released whining Kagura.

"Fine, I'll just come home. Please forgive my poor behavior, teacher." Her blood boiled as she forced herself to act respectfully, and was threatening to explode as the older woman sneered with triumph.

"Very good, Higurashi. Tomorrow, I expect you to come back, and we shall act as though this never happened. Is that clear? You too, Kagura." Kagura bowed her head, smirking all the while.

"Yes, teacher, I understand. Don't worry Higurashi-San, I forgive you."

Inuyasha was only heading back from the pool, refreshed and relaxed from a long exercise of laps in the pool and a few minutes in the hot tub, and was feeling pretty sleepy when a loud crash ahead of him snapped him to attention.

"Eh? What the…" As he hurried to the closing elevator and stepped in, he saw Kagome Higurashi, banging her fists on the wooden elevator wall.

"Kagome?" Kagome froze mid-fist, and blushed, looking anywhere but her new companion.

"Um, Inuyasha…what are you doing here?" Inuyasha scratched his head, smiling unsurely.

"Uh…I might ask you the same thing, Kagome. Didn't we already talk about this…like two hours ago? I was going to the pool and just got done. But, weren't you going to school with Kohaku?" She smiled nervously.

"Um…I just got done, too…?" Inuyasha eyed her suspiciously, more of in a teasing manner.

"Oh? Normally, when _I _go to school, it doesn't get out until two o' clock…don't tell me they've changed the schedule _this _early in the semester." There was a moment of awkward silence. Kagome noticed that the doors were still open, and they were still on the first floor, but as she reached for the buttons, he pressed the seventh floor, and then they were on their way up as the doors closed.

"So really Kagome, what's up? You don't look too happy, for someone who was beating on the wall."

"It's just really…stupid reason. I shouldn't have left anyway."  
"So what is it?"

"Uh…well, you see- this one girl, Kagura…" Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Okay…now I totally see where this one's going. What's she say?"

"Well, I don't know how she knows, but she was talking about my _Mom_, and, well…"

"Gotcha. I'll kick her ass tomorrow, no worries."

"What? No, that's not-"

"No worries. That old bag of a teacher doesn't scare me worth shit, and my brother has connections, so it's all good. Anyway, everybody's gone. Want to watch a movie or something over at my place?"  
"Um…sure, I'll- agh, what was that?" As she was talking, the elevator had jerked forward, causing her to fall into his arms as both were slammed into the elevator door, and she looked at him and blushed, frozen in position. Inuyasha, however, was hardly aware of anything romantic in the slightest.

"You okay?" He asked, and frowned around the elevator and looked to the panel of buttons.

"What the hell was that?" He gently pushed her away and Kagome ignored the slight, disappointed sinking feeling she felt as he did. He pressed the seventh floor button again, and when nothing moved, he opened the emergency phone case, and forgot…to be gentle. He held up the phone with the broken cord, blushing tomato red sheepishly.

"Um, Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"We may be in here for quiet some time."

"Oh…"

Well, what did you think? I think they'll get longer, the chapters I mean.

What will happen with the two stuck in the elevator?

Review!


	4. Author's Note Long time no write!

Dear readers,

I realize that it has been ages since I have updated, and some of you must have been greatly disappointed. Bows I am truly sorry for my neglectfulness. But, I feel have improved as a writer, and if you wish for me to continue, I shall. Mostly, I've been thinking about "I'm Not Okay, I Promise". I think this is the one I shall update. Please, if you wish for this, or have any suggestions or encouragement, it most certainly is welcome. Thank you very much.

-Cztar-Chan


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